natural pearls

[Elias]

Hello everyone,

Sorry for all these posts but looks like it's buying season haha,
Do you think these are natural pearls? Some look really unusual right?
How should I value them so I may be able to make a good offer?
I can buy one or all.

Thank you

 

[CortezPearls]

Hi there @Elias ! Interesting photos...well, some of those items do look like they are set on older (vintage) settings, some are very Hispanic looking, but id does not necessarily mean the settings are actually old and the pearls are natural.

The pearls on the cross that has a Jesus...that one has natural looking pearls. This does not mean they are natural...just that they "look" like naturals to me.

The earrings with dark baroque pearls...doesn't look like that old and the pearls look like either "gas giants" (cultured) or baroque natural pearls but they look dyed to me.
All other pearls look culture Akoya pearls to me...but the sizes are just so tiny! It's really hard to tell pearls apart just from a photo and near to impossible with these photos.

 

[KarinK]

Venturing an oppinion here - 1 and 3 look very new. As Douglas says, the other pieces may or may not be old. I personally love the look of the #4 earings but is that a drilled hole in the both pearls at the top? In any case, those two look like cultured baroque pearls. And if I was you, I wouldn't look for natural pearls this way. I doubt any of these have any actual value outside of the piece even if they were all natural pearls. They seem to small for that. I would look at whether I love the piece and unless the seller is known to be trustworthy, if it's some kind of online sale where you can't check the gold or the stones, I'd only pay what I feel they would be worth to me if they are brand new, Chinese FW and the stones either lab created or fake.

 

[Elias]

Hi Cortez, Thank you a lot for your answer. I didn't bought any of these items. Hello Karink, you made an excellent point and convinced me. It is very hard for me not to think first in investment when I buy jewelry. I really do some excellent deals in jewelry in general, but we like pearls so much and it is harder to buy them thinking as an investment. Your worst case scenario approach to buy pearls is very interesting and I liked it.

 

[KarinK]

If you trust the grade of the metal in the settings, you can always pay what you feel that is worth and the pearls will be a bonus. It's also worth keeping in mind that pearls don't hold their value very well. They have a wonder reputation for being super rare but very few of them are and that affects the price. Many think they have struck gold when they find a single pearl but that was from before the days of cultured pearls.

This does mean that you can find some good bargains in looking for used pearls but you really should look for what you love rather than what looks like a good deal. Good deals add up and then you don't have the money when you find what you love. I think all of us here sometimes think wishfully about what we could have owned if we had stayed away from the good deals and saved the money instead

 

[jshepherd]

The earrings with dark baroque pearls...doesn't look like that old and the pearls look like either "gas giants" (cultured) or baroque natural pearls but they look dyed to me.

These look like baroque akoya, so they could be natural color. The shape looks beaded to me.

 

[CortezPearls]

These look like baroque akoya, so they could be natural color. The shape looks beaded to me.

Could be some "gassy" baroque Akoya, with lots of protein buildup to cause the dark coloration.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

the earrings lokk like modern asian or indian made, using keshi or cultured pearls.
We can find many fake XIX look-like modern items, also many art deco style using cultured pearls, mostly originate from china, jewelry itself seems to be manufactured in india.
They also make fake moghul jewelry.
The christ on cross also seems strange, it would require better pictures ot get sure.
The at deco cross could be original, is it possible to get more informations about all those items, more details, better photos, hallmarks too, it can help to get period information.

 

[navigupta]

Natural pearls are formed naturally in mollusks such as oysters and mussels. Unlike cultured or farmed pearls, which are created by inserting a bead or nucleus into the mollusk, natural pearls form spontaneously without any human intervention. They are considered rare and valuable and are often sought after by pearl collectors and jewelry enthusiasts.
The color, size, and shape of natural pearls can vary greatly and are influenced by factors such as the type of mollusk, the location where it lives, and the environmental conditions in which it is found. Natural pearls can range in color from white to black and can be round, oval, or irregular in shape.
Due to their rarity and unique characteristics, natural pearls are often more expensive than cultured or farmed pearls. They are considered a symbol of luxury and are often featured in high-end jewelry pieces.